I am sure you have seen many “breakfast in bed” pictures on Instagram and Pinterest of fabulous looking women, “fake-eating” strawberries or sipping expensive champagne. It is all staged…. From the “I woke up like this” look, to the elaborately displayed breakfasts… With a few tips and tricks you can take your breakfast in bed pictures from ‘boo’ to ‘whoo!’ Let me show you how to do a “breakfast in bed” themed photoshoot at home.
With Mother’s Day around the corner I thought it would be a great idea to do a shoot to celebrate all the amazing mothers out there! With Lockdown currently still in place I think a lot of kids and dads will resort to treating mum in bed and it might be the perfect opportunity to capture a few special moments. It’s time to ditch that nursing top (it’s only for one morning) and dig out that cute set of PJ’s at the bottom of the drawer…
You will need:
- A bed: A couch can work as well or if your bedroom is as badly lit as mine you can stage a “bedroom” like mine! (perfect opportunity for a fun Christmas bed afterwards)
- Breakfast or any of your favourite treats. Be clear about what you like or you will end up with one of your kids or hubby’s favourites…
- A few extra decor items
- A cute pair of nighties: I ONLY have nursing tops, so I decided to be EXTRA and used one of hubby’s white shirts.
Setup:
I went completely overboard with my setup, hoping it will spark ideas in you while styling your own story. Once again I decided to use my guest room (currently my make shift studio) because my master bedroom has the worst lighting! If you missed my blog post on Lighting have a quick look at my Home photography tips and tricks. I usually spend a lot of time with my setups making sure everything is exactly as I want it. A bit more time and tweaks here and there will ensure the perfect background for your pictures and a worry free photoshoot.
Pro tip: I like to choose and prepare two or more backgrounds for my photo sessions. For this photo shoot I decided to use the left side and the foot end side of the bed. (have a look at the picture below) I made sure my setup was perfect in those directions. This way I know where I can move and in which directions I should take my pictures to avoid unwanted backgrounds. I always choose more than one direction especially with kids to allow movement and a variety of positions.
A few tips to elevate your setup to an Instagram and Pinterest level:
- Add scatter cushions
- Use plain white or neutral bedding (patterns and florals will make your pictures extremely busy)
- If you don’t have nice looking objects next to your bed, borrow them from different rooms! Plants, decor, books…
- Add a personal touch by displaying a few framed pictures.
- Avoid bright coloured outfits and stick to neutrals for a cohesive story.
- Fake that “I woke up like this look” by adding a tiny bit of make up and just make sure your bed head hair is “pretty messy” and not “ugly messy”
- For a more festive look add balloons!
Expectation vs reality:
This was one of my most difficult DIY projects. It’s a different dynamic to entertain a one year old in front of the camera while hubby takes pictures… I completely underestimated his super dad skills when it comes to assisting me with Luca while trying to stay out of the pictures. We did hit a few bumps in the road, starting with Luca being more interested in all the decor and also colliding with my teeth at some point, resulting in a meltdown and lots of cooing and wooing.
A few tips to make your expectations reality:
- Brainstorm ideas, keep a few poses in mind but let your kids “lead” the shoot. You might not get that winning shot you had in mind, but fretting over it might let you lose out on better shots.
- Keep things playful: this way you are guaranteed smiles and candid images.
- PLAN AHEAD: I can’t stress this enough. Before you bring your kiddos anywhere near your setup make sure everything is ready and that your partner knows the game plan. With little ones you only have 5 minutes before the excitement wears off and curiosity and fidgeting steps in. Make sure you use that time snapping pics and not moving objects around.
- Plan ahead! I do a proper step-by-step plan for every shoot or DIY project I attempt. After I finish the setup I will show hubby the game plan and tell him the order and angles of our shoot. With little ones you only have 5 minutes before the excitement wears off and curiosity and fidgeting steps in. Make sure you use that time snapping pics and not moving objects around.
If you like a more extensive project like this one have a look at my DIY bakery setup: http://krust.co.za/do-it-yourself-baker-themed-photoshoot/ I would love to see your images! Please share them by tagging me on Instagram!
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